RoadNotes: Someone’s Having a Birthday in Haines!

Oceanside RV Park, Haines, AK – September 1, 2014

Since we are normally Rving on September 1, EJ usually doesn’t get to have a birthday party. She has to settle for my company. But she did want something special to remember Alaska and it’s spirit. And I think this necklace fills the bill nicely. Gold nuggets surrounding the northern lights with a sapphire as the north star over a little cabin in the woods.

One of our first stops for the day was The American Bald Eagle Foundation Center. The Center selectively takes in raptors that are not suited for life in the wild. The problem might a broken wing, a malformed beak, blindness, or being imprinted on humans. For instance below are two bald eagles, Keene and Bella Donna.

A red tailed hawk named Warrior.

They have wonderful dioramas with every item identified on a numbered handout sheet as well as placards at the bottom of the displays.

We timed our visit just right because right after we left a crowd of caravanners showed up. For those of you not familiar with the term, it refers to RVers who are more comfortable traveling in large groups and letting someone else do all the planning. In this case it was a group of 35 Airstream trailer owners traveling together.

Since we hadn’t explored the other side of Haines, we drove Mud Bay Road to New Park Road and on to the end. We found a small park facing Chilkat Inlet and Rainbow Glacier.

This is one version of an Alaskan beach, all rocks. I check the water temperature and EJ looks for rocks to skip on the water. The water was…cold.

Driving back we kept seeing houses across a tidal inlet above the high tide line. We couldn’t find a road to those houses. So we finally concluded they parked their cars on one side and rowed small boats across the inlet to their houses.

Going back to Big Guy, we pass the fire station which has a nice whale totem on display.

We took a break and sat out in front of Big Guy to enjoy the day. As if on cue, these two blue herons showed up and began putting on a show. I think the guy with the punk hairdo was putting the moves on the other one.

For EJ’s birthday dinner, we walk over to Mosey’s Cantina. Besides, the Brewery, it’s the only place I’ve been able to get a spruce tip ale. We ordered the Mole’ Enchilada topped off with a Chocolate Creme Brulee for the finale’.

Walking home fantasizing that we are burning lots of calories, EJ finds another totem.

I examine this contraption trying to figure out if it really does something or is just a collection of old parts thrown together. For instance, inside the rear wheels were ring gears, but nothing connected to them. There was a smoke stack, but no boiler. Hmmm? I’m leaning towards a collection of old parts.